New crime tool for Harris Co. residents

There's a new tool to track crime in neighborhoods in our area. It's a move to help people be more aware of what's going on where they live, but also to let law enforcement know where they are needed. We're talking about real time crime data. The maps are updated several times a day. This tool is significant in that it will allow county residents to make more informed decisions with respect to their personal safety.

They're called crime maps and for the first time they're giving Harris County residents an up close and accurate look at the crimes happening in county neighborhoods. Chase Sanders says he likes the idea.

"If I'm looking for somewhere to live in the future, if I change it up. There's not much you can do in your own area if you're already there but yeah, in the future, when you're trying to decide between two different places," Sanders said.

The goal is to make the information accessible to the public and easy to understand. Once you're linked in you can search for crime statistics based on your address or zip code. You can look at criminal activity in a particular area anywhere from six months ago to the past three days.

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia explained, "We're in the crime fighting business and with limited resources or not, we are committed to keeping communities safe. That will be our challenge."

What's more, the addresses of all registered sex offenders in Harris County are plotted on the map. Just click on the icon and the sex offender's picture pops up.

Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman said, "This will allow you to make decisions about your life that are directly impacted by crime in your community."

You can even sign up for email crime alerts which notify you when a crime has taken place in your neighborhood. Sanders says when it comes to his safety, he's not willing to take any chances.

"That's what you got to do nowadays," he said. "I think the more informed you are, the better prepared you are for dangerous situations."

Law enforcement will also use this tool to identify crime trends or patterns so they can respond accordingly.